


No Good at Goodbyes

by xlifefulloflaughterx



Category: Day Zero (2007), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Drunk Sex, F/M, Frank hates texting, One Night Stands, One Shot, Plot Twists
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:34:46
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27425791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xlifefulloflaughterx/pseuds/xlifefulloflaughterx
Summary: A handsome and charming stranger at the bar catches Karen's eye. She didn't expect to see him again after the ensuing night of passion.Kastle AU one-shot with a twist. Inspired by themes from two other Bernthal classics - Sicario and Day Zero.
Relationships: Frank Castle/Karen Page
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	No Good at Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> Still quite new to the Kastle community so come say hi on Tumblr @Ambrosiac-x
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!

Karen looked at her reflection in the mirror, twisting the same blonde curl around her finger for the tenth time, huffing out a frustrated breath when it just wouldn’t sit right.

If she was honest, she felt a little stupid. She turned thirty next year for Christ’s sake.

Turning to the side and smoothing a hand over the tight black dress, she cast a critical eye over her hips which had filled out a little since she last went out wearing something this figure-hugging. The balls of her feet were already protesting the strappy heels. At least her pedicure looked good, a deep red that matched her lipstick.

She wouldn’t say she tried to blend in on a normal day. She liked her tailored blouses and pencil skirts that showed off her shape without being too much. She was confident in herself, she didn’t shy away from those things. But the subway ride was uncomfortable, drawing a level of attention she hadn’t felt since college. She changed carriages partway through the journey to escape a man who was sitting just that little bit too close, insistently pressing his knee against her own bare leg.

She met her colleagues at a restaurant, grabbing a bite to eat before they joined the rest of the Christmas Party at the bar Karen was kind of dreading. She used to love going out, getting drunk and dancing the night away. But she hadn’t been that person in a long time. Nowadays, she spent her evenings curled up on the couch, working until the late hours.

The wine at dinner was good. Or at least that’s what she told herself as she finished off the bottle by herself. She wouldn’t admit she was chasing the buzz, trying to loosen up.

She was having a good time by the time they made the short walk to the bar. The bass was thumping, reverberating off the walls as they descended the stairs into the main room. There was an area reserved just for them, with a little booth and bottles of champagne. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad after all.

A few shots later and they’d moved down onto the dancefloor. The alcohol had her carefree, swaying her hips to the beat and laughing as they sang to the music.

She was mostly oblivious to her surroundings. Mostly. Except every now and then, her eye would be drawn to the bar or rather a man leaning against it. She’d spotted him out of the corner of her eye earlier and whenever she glanced over, he met her gaze. There was something about him. He was relatively tall, how tall exactly she wasn’t sure because he was resting on his elbow, one leg crossed over the other as he sipped his beer. His hair was dark, cut short and the buttons on his black shirt were pulling across his broad chest. Even in the low light, she could see the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when his buddy made him laugh. The way he held eye contact with her across the room while he continued his conversation made her face heat up.

It had been a while. She wasn’t exactly sure how long, but she hadn’t been on a date in over a year. She was out of practice, but luckily low lighting and loud music were forgiving when it came to flirting.

Dragging her eyes away from him, she turned her attention back to her group. Making her movements just that little bit more sensual, she exaggerated the swing of her hips and brought a hand up to run her fingers through her hair. A few minutes later she chanced a glance over her shoulder and sure enough, he was looking right at her with a look of mild amusement on his face.

She winked at him. An invitation.

Sure enough, one of the other writers raised a brow to gesture behind her and when she turned, he was right there. The first thing that hit her was how good he smelled – masculine and clean. The next was his face, close enough now for her study it more closely. He was ruggedly handsome, a light covering of dark stubble on a strong jaw. His nose looked like it had been broken a fair few times, but it suited him. His eyes were even more captivating up-close. He was the same height as her in her heels, so she had a great view of them.

The final thing that struck her was that he hadn’t touched her yet. She’d been in enough places like this in her younger years to remember the handsy, drunken approach to courtship. But his eyes were bright and clear despite him being a little bit tipsy.

“Hey” he shot her another of those smiles that could melt an iceberg.

“Hey yourself” she returned, batting her eyelashes at him. “Enjoying the show?” she leaned in so he could hear her, a hand on his arm to balance.

Wow, maybe she wasn’t as out of practice as she thought.

He laughed at that. “Absolutely”

Karen’s knees went weak when he whispered into the shell of her ear. “You are _breathtakingly_ beautiful”

“You’re not bad” she recovered well, drawing another chuckle from him.

“Worthy of a dance?” he asked, offering a hand.

She took it, feeling the rough skin of his palm as his big hand enveloped hers. He pulled her to his chest, all solid muscle and she draped her arms around his neck as they moved together.

Now she was in his arms, she could smell his cologne and feel the warmth baking off him. His broad shoulders and big arms enveloped her as he put an arm around her waist.

They danced, his hand sliding down to her lower back, keeping her close. Their eyes were locked as if drawing it out, playing a game of who would break first.

It was him.

He glanced down at her lips, eyes heavily lidded. He leaned in slowly and when she didn’t resist, he covered her lips with his.

Maybe it was the wine. Maybe it was the fact she hadn’t kissed a man in over a year. But it was a phenomenal kiss. His lips were full, sliding against her own until she parted them and his tongue caressed hers. His stubble was deliciously uncomfortable against her own soft skin.

One of her hands came around to rest on his chest and his free hand tangled in her hair.

He tasted like beer, spearmint and something else she couldn’t put her finger on.

When he pulled back, she chased the contact and he smiled with a confidence that was just the right side of cocky.

She didn’t make a habit of kissing strangers but she couldn’t find it in herself to regret such a smouldering exchange.

“Drink?” he asked, gesturing to the bar.

Glancing over to where the rest of her group were, she saw that the numbers were dwindling and several had headed home. She contemplated his offer for a moment before nodding, letting him lead her through the crowd with a hand on her lower back.

She was grateful the volume of the music was lower over here.

“Thanks…?” she let the question linger, sipping her beer and surveying him over the lip of the bottle.

“Frank” he answered easily.

“Karen” she smiled.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Karen” he shot her another of those smiles, sending heat scattering through her body.

This time when he leaned in to kiss her, she met him halfway. She couldn’t get enough of him, he was intoxicating. She couldn’t remember the last time she was so physically attracted to someone.

They left just after 1am.

As they walked to the subway, she felt safer for his company when some drunk guys started catcalling her across the street. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t dealt with before, but New York wasn’t the safest of places. They’d backed off pretty quickly when he’d told them to have a little respect, the warning clear in his body language.

As they reached her apartment, she considered that letting a stranger know where she lived might not have been the smartest move. But that ship had sailed.

They hovered on the steps to her building and he drew her into a long, slow kiss, a hand at her neck and his thumb brushing back and forth over the soft skin behind her ear.

The next words out of her mouth surprised even her.

“Do you want to come in?”

He looked at her for a moment.

“Okay”

It took her a couple of tries to open the door. The damn thing was always sticking, but the wine didn’t help her dexterity.

He followed her in, closing the door behind him.

“Beer?” she offered, balancing on one foot as she undid the straps of the uncomfortable shoes. He nodded and laughed, offering a hand to steady her as she wobbled. She let out a little sigh of relief when they were off, feet burning.

Padding into the kitchen, she cracked open two beers from the fridge and handed him one.

He waited until she offered him a seat to sit down on the couch, kicking off his own boots. She could take a good look at him now, under the lamp. He was wearing jeans and black boots, spreading his legs as he sat back against the couch cushions and sipped his beer.

Now they were alone, the flirty teasing had subsided into quiet small talk. It wasn’t awkward though; the air was thrumming with anticipation.

“You from New York originally?” she asked him.

He nodded. “Born and raised. You?”

She shook her head. “Vermont”

A little while later, she watched him place his empty bottle on the coffee table and huffed out a little laugh.

“What?” he smiled.

“I didn’t even want to go out tonight. And here we are a few hours later, and I’ve picked up some random guy in a bar”

“Hey” he feigned offense. “Some random guy?”

“I didn’t mean it like that” she laughed again, running a hand through her hair. “I just meant that I don’t normally do…this…”

“What do you normally do, _Karen_?”

Her name on his lips was pure sex as the dynamic shifted again.

“Work late and fall asleep at my desk, or sit on my couch and eat an entire bar of chocolate in an ugly tee shirt”

That got another smile out of him and he reached out to stroke a thumb over her cheek.

“It’s not normally my scene either…was just catching up with some friends I haven’t seen in a long time” he trailed a finger under her chin, tipping her face to his so he could kiss her softly. “And for the record…” he started, pulling back far enough to look in her eyes, his breath ghosting over her lips. “…I don’t do this either”

She wasn’t sure if she believed that or not, but this time when he kissed her, her fingers went for the buttons on his shirt. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her whole body craving him.

She laid back against the couch cushions, pulling him down over her.

His hands were under her back, searching for a zipper. She helped him, tugging down the side zipper and letting him peel it off over her head.

Pushing his shirt open, she ran her hands over his chest, helping him to shrug it off while he captured her lips in another searing kiss.

Her fingers grasped for his belt, pulling it out of the loop and unbuckling it. He smiled at her when she struggled with the button on his jeans, reaching down to do it for her. She couldn’t help but return the smile and the crease of his eyes as he ran his thumb over her lower lip with such tenderness had her stomach doing flips.

He covered a breast with his mouth, fingers kneading the other. Her back arched, chest heaving as he kissed a path down her sternum. Grasping her hips, he moved to kneel on the floor, shifting her to the edge of the couch and pulling down her panties.

Her head dropped back against the couch cushion when he kissed his way up her inner thigh. She hadn’t been touched like this in a long time. It was too much and not enough all at the same time.

His mouth was magic. Within minutes, he had her writhing, pinning her hips down and bringing her right to the edge. The teasing was infuriating but it only added to the intensity of the orgasm when he pushed her over the edge with a flick of his tongue. The neighbours would definitely have heard the way she cried out, gasping as the pleasure rolled through her in waves.

Her cheeks were pink, the flush spreading down her chest when he crawled back up to kiss her.

They made out for a few minutes, until her brain wasn’t so scattered. Then she pushed him back, crawling into his lap. The self-confident smile wasn’t there anymore, he was just watching her with eyes blown wide with arousal. His hands held her hips down, grinding against her to get some friction on his neglected arousal. He was hard underneath her and she teased him a little longer before pushing his knees apart and settling between them.

Pulling his underwear down with his jeans, he lifted his hips so she could take them off for him.

Taking him in her hand, she gave him a few experimental strokes. He watched with keen interest as she admired him. He was thick and heavy, precum beading at the head from the excitement of making her climax.

She ran her tongue up the underside before wrapping her lips around him, drawing a quiet rumble from his chest.

He brushed her hair away from her face, enjoying the view as she took him deep.

After a few minutes he stopped her with a hand on hers, pulling her up and into another kiss.

“You wanna move this to the bedroom?” she asked, a little breathless.

He nodded and she climbed off his lap, taking him by the hand.

When they reached the bed, she made to turn around but he stopped her, running a hand up her stomach to play with her nipple. She let her head drop back against his shoulder.

Turning her in his arms, he laid her on the bed and settled between her legs, stroking her face with tenderness that caught her off-guard. She moaned into his mouth when he pressed inside.

At first, his thrusts were slow and drawn out. She ran her hands up his arms, squeezing his strong biceps. He increased the pace, covering her body with his. His hand came up to hold her neck and it sent a surprising wave of arousal through her.

She pushed at his shoulders and he took the hint, grabbing her by the hips as she turned over.

This position really did it for her, his hard thrusts creating an incredible friction which sent her spiralling into her second orgasm. As she came down, he pressed a kiss to the back of her neck. 

Rolling onto his back, he pulled her into his lap. She sank down onto him, covering his hands with her own as he dragged his fingers down her chest.

She could tell he was close but she kept him on the edge for a while, rolling her hips. Eventually, he sat up, burying his face in her chest and dragging his hands down her back as he met her movements and chased his own orgasm.

His hips stuttered, going tense in her arms as he came.

He flopped back against the headboard, exhausted while she cleaned up in the bathroom.

He was still there when she returned, comforter pooled at his waist.

When she flicked off the lamp and climbed into bed, he understood the unspoken invitation to stay the night.

~ xxx ~

When she woke, light was streaming in through the curtains. As she rolled over, she realised it had been the sound of the front door that had woken her.

She wasn’t surprised that he’d snuck out, not even disappointed really. One night stands weren’t something she ever really did but she knew how it worked.

She took her time in the shower, smiling to herself at the ache in her hips. Last night had been great, exactly what she needed.

As she headed into the kitchen to find something that resembled breakfast, she had a spring in her step. There wasn’t much in, so she made do with toast. Grabbing a knife from the drawer, her eyes landed on a takeout leaflet on the counter. Picking it up, she frowned at the number scrawled on the top.

She hadn’t expected him to leave his number but she was intrigued.

Over the next few days, she tried to bury herself in work. But however much she tried, there was a niggle at the back of her mind. He’d piqued her interest.

Yes, it had been a one-off, isolated night of passion. But he wouldn’t have left his number if he didn’t want her to text him. And she wouldn’t mind seeing him again. It didn’t have to be a big deal…

She felt like a stupid teenager as she sat at her desk, typing out and then deleting the same message. Eventually, she closed her eyes and hit send.

_Hey, it’s Karen from the bar_

She put her phone back in her bag before she had chance to overthink the words or worry about whether it sounded stupid.

When she got home that night, she checked it. No reply. She checked it again when she went to bed. Nothing.

She was mad at herself all day the next day, waiting for a text from some guy she barely knew.

By the end of the week, she’d deleted it. Out of sight, out of mind.

That’s why it caught her so off-guard when her phone buzzed as she put on her coat to leave the office that Monday. But it wasn’t a text, he was calling…

A petulant part of her didn’t want to answer. It was about to ring out when she grabbed it.

“Karen Page”

“Evening Miss Page”

She could hear him smiling from the tone of his voice.

“It’s Frank” he clarified, and she took some pleasure from the idea that he thought she might not have saved his number.

“Wonderin’ if you wanted to grab a drink” he continued.

“When?” she asked, glancing out of the window at the skyline.

“Tonight…when do you get off work?”

“Oh” she almost faltered at the spontaneity of it. “I was just packing up”

“I can meet you on 41st in ten minutes?” he offered.

She contemplated it for a second before thinking to hell with it.

“Sure…see you there Frank”

She considered that this might be a booty call but would she even mind if it was? Sure, it was a school night so she couldn’t be out too late. But what could it hurt? She never had any fun anymore.

She spotted him easily when she arrived, outside an Irish pub dressed in pretty much the same thing he had been last time she’d seen him. The only difference was that his button up had been exchanged for a black tee shirt and a zip up sweater.

“Hey” he greeted her, leaning in to press a kiss to her cheek.

He opened the door for her, following her in. She grabbed a table while he bought them a couple of beers.

She studied him curiously when he sat down opposite her. Things felt different. She wasn’t drunk and they weren’t trying to talk over music so loud they had to shout. This felt a bit like a date, which made her nervous for some reason.

But he didn’t seem to be worrying himself with such thoughts, so she shimmied her coat off and relaxed.

“Good day?” he asked and the domesticity of it had her inhaling her beer in amusement. She coughed and he laughed.

“It was okay thanks” she replied when she managed to catch her breath. “How was yours?”

“Fine” he shrugged.

She took another sip and he smiled, looking away before bringing his gaze back to her.

“What?” she asked, feeling his infectious smile spreading across her own face.

“Nothin’…” he thumbed at the condensation on his own bottle. “Just thinkin’ about how I used to be a lot better at this. It’s been a while”

“Oh? The brooding mystery man thing isn’t intentional?”

He snorted at that.

“I wasn’t expecting to hear from you again” she remarked.

He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Sorry for skipping out…”

“You don’t have to apologise” she told him. She meant it.

“I’m not an asshole, I swear” he bit his lip and she couldn’t help but stare at that full bottom lip. She blushed when her brain pulled up an image of what he could do with those lips.

“You haven’t actually told me what you do” she changed the subject.

He sat back in his chair. “I’m in the military”

“Wow okay” she started.

“You haven’t told me what you do either” he cut her off with a smile.

“I’m a journalist”

Keen to avoid work talk, conversation switched to lighter topics and they laughed, chatting for over an hour before Karen had to stifle a yawn.

“We should head off if you’ve got an early start tomorrow” he offered, helping her put her jacket on when she stood.

Like last time, he walked her to her apartment. They stopped at the foot of the stairs and he hovered, hands in his pockets.

He smiled at her and she couldn’t help but return it.

“G’night Karen”

For a moment, she wasn’t sure if he was going to leave it at that. But then he took a step forward and brought a hand up to the side of her neck, thumb resting on her cheek as he guided her face to his.

Kissing him felt different sober. She was more aware, of the friction of his stubble, of the pressure of his lips, of his tongue as it brushed hers.

She melted into it, resting her hands against his shoulders.

He watched until she was safely inside and with her back to the door, Karen didn’t have to hide the beaming smile on her face.

The next few days, she thought about him a lot. It had been a very long time since she’d been interested in anyone but she resisted texting him. He had her number. The ball was in his court.

Sure enough, that Friday he called, not a big texter apparently.

“Hey” she answered, holding the phone between her shoulder and her cheek as she finished sending an email.

“Was wonderin’ if you wanted to catch the Rangers game tomorrow?”

“Oh…yeah, sure, that sounds nice” she smiled.

“Okay…I’ll come by yours at five, we can grab some food first”

That night was possibly the best date she’d ever been on, if you could even call it a date. He’d taken her to this little diner on a back street. The burger was so good she’d audibly moaned and she hadn’t missed the heat in his eyes at the sound. The game had been good and the Rangers won. They’d gone for drinks afterwards, enjoying the city’s post-game win atmosphere, and played some pool. Karen won despite his efforts to distract her, standing close to her and pressing his lips to the soft skin behind her ear.

This time, when they reached the steps to her place, she took his hand. He followed her inside, pressing her against the door as soon as they reached her apartment. They didn’t make it to the bed.

~ xxx ~

They’d been seeing each other every week or so for just over two months now and from time to time he stayed the night. Karen was thumbing through her mail, coffee in her other hand as she stood in the kitchen wearing nothing but a tee shirt and panties.

He emerged from the shower, a towel wrapped around his hips and she couldn’t help but cross the distance to press a soft kiss to his lips. His body was incredible. She couldn’t get enough of those abs.

He kissed her back, running a hand up and under her shirt to caress her lower back.

“You wanna take a trip somewhere next month? Was thinking we could do a long weekend?” she asked when they broke for air.

The look on his face made her take a step back.

“It was just a suggestion…” she frowned, playing it off as she returned to her mail.

Did he think that was too much for whatever this was?

He didn’t say anything more, heading off to change.

She was on edge after that. She felt a little stupid, for assuming things might be getting serious. Had she read it all wrong? Did he think this was just casual?

For the first time since they’d met, thing were a little awkward. The silence was deafening as he ate breakfast.

She heard the clang of his bowl in the rack and looked up when he cleared his throat.

“I need to tell you somethin’…” he licked his lips, voice low and serious.

He wasn’t making eye contact and her heart sank.

I…uh…I’m gettin’ deployed”

Silence hung in the air as she tried to process what he’d just said.

“When?” she asked when she found her voice.

“At the end of the month…”

There was a lump in her throat the size of a golf ball now. The cogs were turning in her brain as she slowly put the pieces together.

“How long have you known?”

He didn’t respond.

“Answer me Frank” she snapped.

“Months” he admitted. Since before he even met her, she realised bitterly.

She turned away, running a shaky hand through her hair.

“Karen I’m…”

She snatched her wrist away when he tried to grab it and spun on her heel, too upset to care that he’d see her crying.

“You knew all this time and you kept that from me…?”

“I didn’t plan for this to be somethin’ Karen…”

“Don’t you fucking dare” she pushed him hard in the chest. “You let me fall for you, like my feelings are just some game. You knew you were leaving so you thought you’d just have a bit of fun before you left?!”

“At the start yeah, but…”

Tears rolled down her cheeks and when he reached for her she shoved him again.

“What? Two weeks?” she sobbed. “Then that’s it? You’re just…gone?”

He put his arms around her and she fought him, eventually giving in and crying into his chest.

He kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry…I wanted to tell you but by the time I realised you’d care if I was gone, I’d already hidden it for so long”

She was so angry at him, pulling away from his hold to pace the room.

“You could have just left that morning…why did you see me again?”

He ran a hand over his head and rubbed his neck guiltily. “I told you I don’t do one night stands Karen. I was enamoured with you from the moment I saw you in that bar”

“But why weren’t you just honest with me?”

“Because I figured you could do a lot better than me and you’d see it as a bit of fun…and this all happened really fast. One day we were just strangers with crazy sexual chemistry and then I blinked and we were eating take out on your couch, talking about what kind of dog we’d get. It sounds stupid but it snuck up on me. One day it just struck me that we were pretty much in a committed relationship”

He reached out to wipe a tear from her cheek and she gave in and wrapped her arms around his neck. She held on tight, savouring the feel of his big arms around her waist. He was right, she’d never felt so attached to someone so quickly.

“I don’t want you to go Frank” she whispered.

He rubbed her back, holding her tight. “I know…wish I didn’t have to” he mumbled into the top of her head.

“How long?” she asked, pulling back to look at him.

He stroked a thumb under her eye to catch the moisture. He hesitated, worrying his lower lip with his teeth.

When he said it, her face creased with anguish.

“Twelve months”

She sobbed. He held her. 

They stayed like that for what felt like an hour, Frank rubbing soft circles on her back. When she’d calmed down, he made her another coffee while she curled up on the couch.

As he handed it to her, she mumbled something.

“I’ll wait for you”

He knelt in front of her, searching her eyes with a furrowed brow and tears in his own. She meant it.

“Karen…” he started.

She cut him off with a soft kiss. “I’ll wait for you” she repeated.

“I love you” he whispered, and it took her breath away.

“I love you too"


End file.
